Beauty and the AntiHeero
by Callisto Nicol
Summary: It's Beauty and the Beast all over again, except it's Beauty's best friend who meets the Beast... *ch 5*
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: I got a whimsy, and produced a first chapter!  Actually, it's more like a prologue, but I called it a first chapter because…I felt like it, I guess.  I really don't know.

Disclaimer: I OWN A VIRAL BRONCHITIS INFECTION THING!!! MUAHA!!!!! But you can have it if you want.  It's been driving me banonkers since Christmas Eve. Other than that, I don't own much…especially not Gundam Wing…

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Beauty and the Anti-Heero

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Chapter One: Whoops

Shivering, the petite woman stepped up to the front doors of the castle.  She pulled back the hood of her cloak to show her face, indicating she meant no harm.  She wasn't the most beautiful creature on the planet.  In fact, she was rather ugly, with many blemishes and marks to hide any beauty she may have once had.  Shivering again, she noted that the snow had almost reached her knees, and she didn't know if she could continue on much longer.  Pulling back the knocker, she let it fall against the metal door and resonate throughout the castle while she prayed someone inside would come to her rescue.  

Within a minute, the door opened to reveal a finely dressed young man, most likely the prince of the castle.  He wore a scowl on his face, possibly caused by his too-tight braid, or perhaps he simply had a nasty disposition.  Bracing against the glare coming her way, the woman tried her luck on the prince.  "Please, sir, I've been traveling through the woods and I need a place to stay for the night, to get out of the snow.  If you'd simply let me stay in the front hall, I'd be gone by morning, and you'd never hear from me again.  Please?"

If anything, the scowl deepened on the young man's face.  "No."

Trembling, the woman tried again.  "Please, sir!  I'll freeze if you leave me out in the cold!  I beg of you, let me stay the night and I'll be out of your hair by morning.  You won't even have to feed me.  I promise you I won't be a nuisance, and I'll even pay a fare if I must!  Please!"

"Sorry, you know I'd like to help you, but…" the man drawled out, "I can't.  So sorry."

Taking a deep breath, the woman tried for the last time.  "Please, sir, just one night.  I only need a few hours to stay out of the cold.  Please, out of the goodness of your heart, give me shelter."

The prince didn't even wait a second before responding.  "No can do, little lady.  Please be on your way."

The woman bowed her head, hiding her ugliness from the young prince.  When she tilted her head back up, a beauty beyond all reason had replaced the scarred, blemished, aged face.  A soft glow surrounded her, and she raised herself out of the snow until her feet were resting lightly on the white powder.  Dropping her cloak, a pair of gauzy wings gracefully flowed out of her back, shimmering in the pale moonlight.  "Rumours of your cruelty had reached the ears of the fairies, but due to the previous rumours of your kindness, we were willing to put you to the test.  You have been put to the test, and you have failed.  I came to you in the appearance of but a poor, old, traveling woman, and all I needed was a night out of the cold, but you could not offer me even that.  Due to the cruelty of your nature, I am punishing you.  The prince of this castle is to be transformed into a hideous, monstrous beast, ugly to all who should so lay eyes on him.  All your servants and friends currently in this castle shall be trapped here with you.  The only escape for them is the only escape for you from the beastly form you shall be in.  You must come to love a person, and gain their love in return, before your twenty-first year.  If you cannot manage that, you shall be trapped inside the body of a beast forever."  With a grand flourish of her hand, all that she had proclaimed came to pass.  An invisible barrier surrounded the castle to keep all in, and the prince of the castle changed into a monstrous beast, doomed to remain so unless he could find love before his twenty-first year.

The fairy smiled, satisfied with her work, until she again laid eyes on the prince in front of her.  He had not transformed.  "Why are you not a beast?" she demanded.

The young man gave off a nervous chuckle.  "Heh.  Can we say I'm not the prince of this castle?"  A cheesy grin overtook his features, and from deep within the castle a mighty roar erupted.   Wincing, he said, "That's the prince."

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A/N: Short, I know, but next chapter will be longer, I promise!  Please review!  The quicker you review and boost my ego the quicker I feel the need to get another ego boost and write the next chapter!  ~~Callisto


	2. The Protagonists

Author's Note: Many thanks to all who reviewed this—Laurel Meredith, Red Rum, mama-sama, Dan Inverse, and artemis1082!  Fear not, Laurel Mer, if you don't get any of the jokes I'd love to explain them to you.  Not like there are a whole lot of jokes anyway… 

Disclaimer:  I own Foufou.  And Foufou will one day help me take over the world, and when I take over the world, I can buy out Gundam Wing and own it all by myself! *glomps every GW character in sight* But until that day, I don't own anything.

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Beauty and the Anti-Heero

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Chapter Two:  The Protagonists

Breathing heavily, Relena Peacecraft wondered if she'd ever make it home.  She'd been in town buying supplies for the winter when the storm struck.  Not only was it unexpected weather, Relena was ill prepared to make the trek home with only a makeshift cloak instead of a decent wool one equipped for snow with a deep hood trimmed with fox fur.   Picking up her feet, she blinked back snow as she tried to wade through the white mess.  Already it was past her ankles, and she had miles to go before she reached home.  She figured she'd be lucky if her head was still above the snow by the time she reached any type of shelter.  Glancing quickly beside her, Relena was glad her friend Hilde Schbeiker was with her, but she felt bad for the petite woman.  Hilde wouldn't be with her if she hadn't begged the girl to accompany her to town, so she really didn't deserve to be in snowstorm.  Hilde should be snug at home with Relena's older brother Milliardo, sitting in front of a fire waiting for Relena to get home and worrying about her well-being.

"I'm beginning to wonder if we'll survive the trek home!" Hilde shouted to Relena over the howling wind, holding up her arm to block the wind from her face.  Relena duly noted that Hilde was as ill dressed for the weather as she was.  If they didn't find shelter soon they'd freeze.

"Keep your hopes up, Hilde!" Relena shouted back.  "If we start thinking negatively, then something bad is doomed to happen.  Think happy, chipper thoughts!"

"I'm shin deep in snow in a thin, autumn cloak freezing my butt off because my best friend begged me to accompany her to town, and you want me to be happy?  Hmm?  What's wrong with that statement?"  Relena offered Hilde a weak smile, doing her best to look apologetic without smirking at her best friend's misfortune. As if fate knew her thoughts, a strong gust of wind hit Relena, flapping her cloak out behind her.  Instantly Relena felt frozen to her bones.  There, it was happening.  She was becoming an ice cube before she was properly courted.  She always knew that the fates had hated her.  "Don't lose your basket of food!" Hilde shrieked.  "It may be the only thing to save us should we actually come across shelter somewhere!"  At the last instance Relena snicked her basket out of the air, but it was too late to save all the contents.  Fortunately Hilde was the one toting the bag of flour.  Milliardo would have her hide should she lose the flour, possibly their only source of stapled food during the winter months to come.

Gathering her cloak back around her, Relena continued trudging forward against the wind.  She could have sworn that for every step she took the wind pushed her back two.  Feeling despair, Relena was sure she would have given up long ago and sank to the ground to die coldly had it not been for Hilde.  Relena refused to let her best friend best her in returning home.  That would be unbearable, even if she would be dead.  Clutching her basket tightly, she tried hard to think happy, warm thoughts.  A roaring fire would be nice, with a large pig roasting over it.  Happy, warm thoughts.  Think warm…

Before she knew it, Relena was face down in the ever-growing snow.  She had tripped over the hem of her skirt.  Now not only was her nose frozen, but her cheeks and forehead as well felt like ice.  Hypothermia would be the death of her yet.  Hilde bent down beside her and grabbed her arm, hauling her up in spite of gravity.  Relena brushed the snow off the front of her cloak and realized Hilde had stopped moving altogether, her grip still tight on Relena's arm.  "Hilde, what is it?" Relena asked, fearing the worst.  Wolves?  Was Hilde staring at wolves?  Or lions?  Or possibly tigers, or bears?  Or, worst of all, warm and happy families?!

"A castle!" Hilde cried out joyfully.  "Look, Lena, we're in front of a castle!  We can seek shelter there and last out the storm!  We're saved!"  Turning to her right, Relena saw that they were, indeed, in front of a giant castle.  It looked dark and dreary, and yet oh so inviting, a shelter from the storm.  Yet despite being their saviour, Relena couldn't help but frown at the looming stone castle.  She had walked these woods everyday since she was a child, and never once had she seen a castle along the path.  Had she simply never noticed it before?  No, impossible.  Relena knew every inch of her forest as well as the back of her hand.  Perhaps they were lost?  "Don't just stand there, silly, let's go get warm!" Hilde exclaimed, dragging Relena towards the gates.  Opening the rusted iron, Hilde rushed through towards the door, ignoring the efforts of the wind and swirling snow to knock her over.  Relena ran after her friend as fast as her frozen legs would carry her, nearly dropping her basket several times.  She noticed Hilde had lost her care of making sure the basket was safe.  Flailing wildly in the wind, the whicker threatened to uncurl Hilde's fingers and fly through the air to land in an unknown spot.  Shrugging, Relena decided Hilde had the right idea; her basket too was soon flailing about in the storm, attached to her hand merely by her curled, frozen fingers.

Arrival at the entrance netted the two girls a moment to catch their breath.  Finally sucking in enough oxygen to satisfy her lungs, Relena nodded at Hilde to pull back the knocker.  Fearlessly the petite raven-haired girl lifted the heavy brass knocker and let it fall against the elegantly engraved door.  After a moment of no response, Relena urged Hilde again to knock.  Hilde ignored Relena, and instead of knocking simply opened the door and walked on in.  Shocked, Relena ran in after her best friend.

"Hilde, are you crazy?" Relena hissed.  "We don't own this castle, and we don't know who does!  We're trespassing!"

"Calm down, Relena," Hilde said.  "A castle this big _must_ be deserted if no one answers on the first knock.  We'll be safe until the snow stops and we can fight our way home again."

Relena looked around like a frightened rabbit.  "Hilde, if someone catches us here, we're as good as dead, if not worse!"

"We'll be fine, Relena, don't worry!  We're only here until the storm stops!"

"Hilde, does the word _trespassing_ mean anything to you?"

"Does the word _frozen_ mean anything to _you_?"

"Trespassing!"

"Frozen!"  
  


"Trespassing!"

"Frozen!"

"Trespassing!"

"Frozen!"

"Trespa—"

"Boo." 

"AAH!!" Both girls jumped and clung to each other, their baskets falling to the ground and the contents rolling across the stone floor.  Without realizing it, they had identical scared expressions decorating their faces, even down to the closed eyes.  Neither moved an inch until laughter filled the expansive room.

"I wish you two could see yourselves," a deep masculine voice, matching the one that said 'boo', rang out in their ears.  "A couple of rabbits about to be snarfed down by a wolf, that's the picture I'm seeing."

Slowly Relena opened her eyes, but didn't loosen her grip on Hilde, nor vice versa.  Standing in front of the two of them was a young man a few years older than them.  A large grin held its place on his face, and matching twinkles sparkled in his expressive eyes.  He had long, chestnut brown hair pulled back in a braid that reached his waist.  He was dressed expensively, as if he were a prince.  More than likely he was a prince, and the prince of this castle.  Relena gave off a small groan.  Now they were going to get tarred and feathered for merely stepping inside of the castle, and she couldn't say they didn't deserve it.  

"What are you going to do with us?" Hilde asked with far more bravado that she or Relena felt.

"Do with you?  Why, nothing," the smiling stranger said.  Relena didn't trust him.  He was far too smiley to mean that.  Princes who smiled that much spent too much time devising ways to torture and maim people.  The Spanish Inquisition had been run by smiling people.  Relena knew they were doomed.

"But we're on your property without permission," Hilde persisted.  "Surely we must be punished in some fashion."

The guy gave them a tiny shrug.  "Well, if you really want to be punished, I guess I could throw you back outside and let you freeze to death."

"Oh fruit, please no."  The words slipped out of her mouth before Relena even realized it.  So much for her trespassing argument.

"No?  You wanna stay in here?" the smiling stranger said, faking surprise.  His smile deepened to a grin, border lining on perversion.  "With me?"

"You know what, it has hit me that Relena is right, we're trespassing, and we'd love to leave.  So, please, if you'll excuse me," Hilde said, quickly gathering up their baskets and the spilled contents.  

The braided prince took a seat on the floor and leaned back to stare up at them.  "Look at that!  You two switched positions.  Perhaps it be that neither of you has any interest in freezing or trespassing?  I can solve both problems for you, if you'll hear me out."

Relena nodded, ready to hear what he had to say, but Hilde shook her head firmly.  "No.  I'm sorry to disturb you, and am very sorry we entered the castle without permission, but we'll be taking our leave of you now."

"Hilde!" Relena hissed, low enough so the prince could not overhear her words.  "He offered us shelter!  We can stay here until the storm blows over, and then be on our way home!  Come, surely that sounds enticing to you.  Plus, we're in a castle and he's a prince.  We'll have royal company and he can show us around!"

Hilde held up one finger to the prince, signifying they needed a moment.  He smiled at them.  "Take your time, I ain't in a rush."  He leaned all the way back on the floor and propped his head up with his hands, that smile never leaving his face.

"Relena, did you not hear what you just said?"

"Which part?"

"The part about the prince being our company.  Did you see the smile he just gave us?  Relena, this man is trouble, and I want no part of it!"  Relena sighed in frustration.  Why was Hilde so stubborn?  

"So he smiled.  My brother smiles all the time, and I don't see you clamoring to leave our house and live elsewhere," Relena said with more patience than she felt.

"Yes, but your brother has never given me a suggestive smile!  Relena, surely you are not so naïve that you missed the look he gave us.  Please say you did not!" Hilde demanded.  Relena gave a half shrug.  "I can't believe you missed that!  Milliardo needs to let you out more.  You are far too sheltered."

"Nothing wrong with being sheltered," Relena insisted.  "At least my mind is always clean and my conscience calm if I don't understand the perfidious comments others make."

Hilde threw her hands up.  "Why are we talking about this?  We're supposed to be discussing our exit.  We _are_ going.  I refuse to stay here with that _prince_ watching us."

"Fine, go if you want," Relena said, "but I'm staying here.  I'd rather be out of the storm and warm.  The prince offered us a place to stay, and I intend to take him up on his offer.  After all, it's only going to be one night…I hope.  We can survive!  And even if you _did_ see a suggestive smile on the lord's face, we can take care of ourselves, especially with two of us.  We're fine, Hilde, I'm sure of it."  Hilde glowered, obviously not pleased with Relena's answer, but also not willing to abandon her friend to the advances of the braided man.  Happy that Hilde had consented, Relena turned back to the prince.  "We'll stay for the night, if that's all right with you, but we really must get going come morning, if the storm has broke." 

Hilde glowered at the prince.  "But if you should make so much as one advance on either of us, we're out of here, off to try our lives in the raging storm."

Sitting up, the braided man smiled.  "I'm sorry, but you can't do that."

"Can't do what?" Hilde demanded.

"Can't leave.  Ever."  Relena couldn't tell if his grin grew wider or wavered a bit.  Was it possible to do both?  Curious Relena leaned forward to hear his answer; she leaned forward a little too far and Hilde had to grab her arm to steady her.

"What do you mean we can't ever leave?"  Relena demanded.  "We can leave whenever we so choose."

The man shrugged.  "Eh, whatever you say.  You'll soon come to find that I'm right.  Now, would you two like a room?  Together or separate?  With or without a fire?  Big bed or small?  Windows or no?  Wardrobe or no?  If yes, a full one?  Mirrors or not?  Accessible bathrooms or not?  Pink or blue or purple or yellow or green or orange or red?  Rugs or carpet or bare stone?  Drapes or—"

"Thank you sir, but I think we get the idea," Hilde said. "We'll only be staying here one night, two at most, so it really doesn't matter.  Whatever you see fit to give us, we'll humbly accept."

He shrugged again.  "Whatever you say."  The man whistled, and a young lady came in, bowing humbly to the two girls.  "Sylvia, these two girls are our guests for the night.  Please take them to their rooms and make sure they are as comfortable as can be."  With a flourish, the braided man bowed to Relena and Hilde.  "Take care my ladies, and I shall see you tomorrow.  Make yourselves at home, and enjoy your time here.  I would play the part of a gentleman and kiss your hands, but due to the earlier conversation between you two, I am more than fairly certain I would receive a slap in the face instead of a graceful blush.  Good night."  He turned on his heel and left, his booted feet clapping on the stone floor.  

"Please, this way, my ladies," Sylvia said, leading them off to their rooms for the night.  Relena smiled at Hilde.  This wasn't so bad after all.  They could have done much worse for themselves.  Hilde smiled back, but her eyes held a worried look.  Relena couldn't say the worry was completely unwarranted, but honestly, what else could they have done?

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_Man, I love country girls_, the braided prince thought to himself as he whistled his way to the Prince's study.  His grin widened at the prospect of new meat.  Arriving in the West Wing, he knocked softly on the grand door hiding what was beyond.  A growl greeted him in return, refusing his request of an audience.  Whistling innocently, he opened the door anyway and stepped in, barely ducking a flying glass vase.  "Dude, Highness, you've got to stop doing that.  Before long you'll be out of pretty glass things to chuck my way.  Actually, that may not be such a bad idea…" Whistling a little more, he threw himself down on the red velvet chair the Prince kept for him.  "Our prayers have been answered!  Fresh meat arrived not but ten minutes ago."

"Who was praying?"  A deep growl answered him.  The voice's owner stepped out of the shadows.  A monstrous beast stood in the center of the room.  He was almost twice the size of a human man, with teeth large enough to crack stones and a couple of fangs hanging out of the beastly lips.  His nose took on the shape of an upside down triangle, the nostrils flaring slightly in anger.  Paws nearly the size of dinner plates hugged the stone floor; wicked black claws threatened to shoot out.  The beast's entire body was covered in a thick fur the colour of chocolate, yet oddly enough when dubbed as a colour called moss green.  Piercing cobalt blue eyes peered out from thick, bushy brows, a fire burning within their depths.  He was truly a sight to behold.

"To be completely honest, Majesty, everyone was praying except for you.  Perhaps you've resigned yourself to your cage of a castle, but the rest of us would like to one day leave.  Me, I still have a family waiting back home, who most assuredly are wondering about my apparent demise."

The best growled, his glare deepening.  "Perhaps you should have taken that into account, Duo, when you got us into this mess.  I'm not interested in your new meat.  Send them home."

Duo sighed, tugging his braid in aggravation, quickly releasing it when his scalp cried out for help.  The prince was as painful to work with as any.  When had he grown so cold, so emotionless?  When had he started to not care about his servants and friends trapped with him?  "You know I can't do that," he said quietly.  "As much as I would like to, it ain't gonna happen.  I'm well aware that it's my fault we're all stuck here like hamsters in a cage, but unlike you, I care about getting out, and there's only one way to do that.  My last attempt was a dud, but I'm sure this try can be more successful.  Neither girl has any previous attachments, I'd bet my braid on it.  Please, Heero, give it a go."

"I said no, and I mean no!" the beast roared, a table flying through the air in his rage.  "Get out, Duo, get out now and send them home.  I don't care if you have to give your life to do it, just make it so!"  Hastily jumping up, Duo gave a hurried bow as he scurried out the door.  He may enjoy trying the prince's patience, but he knew when enough was enough.  Grimacing, he made his way silently to his room.  This was their last chance, he knew that, but how could he convince the prince to give it a try?

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A/N:  Well, that was an awfully long chapter two, wouldn't you say?  ^__~  Originally this was going to be humour as well as romance, but then I wrote this chapter, and I'm not seeing the humour.  Eh, oh well!  Review, please!  The quicker ego boost I get, the quicker the next chapter gets written! ~~Callisto 


	3. Trapped

Author's Note: Thank you Mama-sama, Artemis 1082 (yes, those are my couplings…what gave it away? ^__~), Ley, Lisi Naiku (little imp!), and Pinkmoon for reviewing.  Sorry I took so long to get this chapter up, but I lost my inspiration and then my daddy took my computer to Europe with him that had the beginning of this chapter in it so I had to re-write it.  Oi vey…

Disclaimer: I OWN EXTENDED DVD LOTR: FOTR!!!!!!! (Just got it yesterday. LM I LOVE YOU!!)  I don't own Gundam Wing…although I suspect on my 10+ tapes of recorded anime I probably have several episodes…hnh, I should really check that out…

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Beauty and the Anti-Heero

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Chapter Three:  Trapped

Yawning luxuriously, Relena reached her arms over her head and stretched.  She was well-rested and felt ready to face a brand new day.  A half-dreamy smile crept onto her face as she remembered the dream she'd had last night.  Imagine getting stuck in a snow storm and finding a handsome prince hidden in a castle!  Laughing to herself, Relena decided she couldn't wait to share the dream with Hilde.  Pulling back the covers, she set her feet on the floor and froze.  Her bare feet were in contact with cold stone, a floor that was nonexistent in her house with Milliardo.  Truly opening her eyes for the first time, Relena took in the expansive room she was in.  Large, sparkling windows stood at the end of the room, blocking the sun from shining in due to the shutters on the other side.  In the darkened room there was the bed she was occupying, large and comfortable with pale pink sheets and a white comforter dotted with small pink flowers.  Rugs covered the stone floor in most areas save where Relena's feet were and in front of the fireplace.  A grand wardrobe was beside the door, tall and elegant and holding many fancy clothes, she suspected.  A wash basin was on the floor next to a tub and a stack of white-flowered pink towels.  Her basket of food sat on the table in the middle of the room surrounded by three chairs.  A chandelier hung from the ceiling, unlit.  Childlike pleasure encompassed Relena's face as she took in the grandeur and beauty of it all.  Smiling with giddy pleasure, she stood up and twirled around the room, feeling like a princess.  Her joy was cut short as the door flew open, fear entering her heart, but immediately she smiled again when she realized it was Hilde.

"Oh Relena, have you seen our rooms?" Hilde exclaimed.  "I didn't realize how beautiful they were last night!  Isn't it amazing?  I think my room alone is the size of three-quarters of your home!  I guess that braided prince can't be all that bad to give us rooms like this!"

The prince.  It must not have been a dream then.  "I love it, Hilde!  Don't you feel like a princess?" Relena asked.  "All we need is a silk dress for each of us—" She cut off her speech as Hilde dashed to the wardrobe and threw it open.  The inside came to life with colour as dresses of all shapes and cuts and fabrics became apparent.  Running to the window Relena opened it and threw open the shutters before hurriedly closing the windows.  The snowstorm had slowed a wee bit, but snow was still coming down heavily.  Turning back to the wardrobe, Relena gasped.  The light luminated the dresses and she couldn't help but let out a delighted laugh.  "We really can feel like princesses here!" she exclaimed.

"Get dressed, Relena, and then we can go find something for breakfast!" Hilde said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.  "Pick a dress, any dress!  I'll meet you in the corridor in half an hour!" 

Agreeing to it, Relena happily sent Hilde along her way and started petting through the elegant dresses in front of her.  There were so many choices!  Did she want silk, velvet, or linen?  Purple, pink, blue, or some other colour?  Lace or no?  So many choices!  Feeling almost overwhelmed, Relena sat down on the floor to observe her options.  The moment her backside connected with the floor, though, she was up again because the wall beside the armoire opened!  Jumping back a pace or six, she clasped her hands together as the body of a young lady stepped out.  

"Good morning!" the young woman said, shutting the wall behind her.  The woman had golden hair and bright, lively blue eyes.  "My name is Sally and I came to help you dress and fix your hair before escorting you to the dining hall so you don't get lost.  Have you made a selection yet?"  Relena shook her head.  Eyeing the dresses, Sally walked over and picked up a beautiful dress of pale pink satin, lace adorning the neckline and cuffs.  "This will look astounding on you, my lady!"  Still not speaking due to shyness, Relena allowed Sally to help her step out of her shabby clothes from home and into the elegant dress.  Sally found a brush and immediately set to work on Relena's hair.  By the time her half hour was up, Relena looked and felt like a princess.  Smiling, she wished for a mirror, an object apparently not to be found anywhere in the castle.  Turning to Sally, she offered a curtsy.

"Thank you, Sally, for your help," Relena said.  "I feel like a princess!" 

Sally laughed.  "If you feel like a princess in _that, just wait until the princes opt to hold a formal evening meal and you wear a party gown!"_

"Well, unless they decide to hold one tonight, I fear I shall never get that opportunity," Relena said regretfully.  "My friend and I must depart as soon as the snow is settled."

"You just keep telling yourself that," Sally laughed.  "Now come, I'll show you to your meal."  Giddy with glee, Relena stepped out into the hall to see Hilde standing there with Sylvia, the girl from last night.  A gasp escaped Relena's lips at her friend's appearance.  Hilde's dress was velvet, a dark rich colour that matched her hair and eyes.  Her short hair was adorned with gems that set off the dress nicely and sparkled in the light of the torches lighting the corridor.  

"Relena, you look breathtaking," Hilde breathed.

"Same to you," Relena whispered.  "Who'd have thought, Hilde, that we'd ever get to touch clothes such as these, let alone wear them?"

Grinning together, the two girls linked arms and followed Sally and Sylvia to the dining area where awaited them on the table breakfast.  Stepping into the dining area, together the best friends paused, staring at the spread before them.  It was more food than they had ever seen at one place in their entire lives!  Every imaginable breakfast food adorned the table.  Grinning at each other, the two friends said as one, "Bon appetite!" and rushed to the table to eat their fill, Sally and Sylvia laughing at them.

Towards the end of the meal, the braided prince came in, freshly clean and dressed, his braid having been redone (they could tell due to the lack of excess hairs sticking out, a thing all girls notice).  "Good morning ladies!" the prince greeted them cheerily.  "That storm sure is something, raging about like it has been all night.  Well, once you two are finished inhaling the cooks' masterpieces, I'd be delighted to show you around the castle if you should be of a mind to do so."

Relena and Hilde shared a conversation in looks before their decision was made.  Hilde still didn't trust the man, but Relena wanted a tour of the castle, as did Hilde despite her mistrust.  Alright, we can do it, but it makes so much as a hint at an inappropriate move…Nodding together, the girls verbally agreed to be toted around the castle, but paused at the prince's sour glare.  "What is it?" Relena inquired.

"Stop it with that conversation within looks thing!  I hate it when women do that!" he scowled.  Laughter erupted from the two girls, and he said menacingly, "I mean it!  Now come on."  Standing up from the table Relena and Hilde hurried after him.  Outside of the dining hall he turned to speak to the two of them, but his words died on his tongue.  He hadn't realized before just how beautiful they were…

"Something wrong, my lord?" Relena inquired of him.

Swallowing, he replied, "No, nothing at all.  Just follow me, please."  They did just that, the two country bumpkins trailing along behind the mighty prince.

Several minutes passed before any more speech was spoken, but finally it was Hilde who said something.  "Forgive me, sir, but I would like to inquire as to what you call yourself.  You have not yet given us a name."

Grinning his trademark grin, he replied, "I like to call myself Shinigami." 

"The god of death?" Relena asked.  "How…morbid."

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," he replied.  "Well now, here we are at the front entrance which you two acquainted yourselves with last night.  Nothing else special here.  Moving on, this is Grand Corridor, the biggest hall in the entire castle and the only hall to sport pictures of the royal family.  See that picture there?  He's the former prince of this castle.  He died when he tried to procure an apple tree for the garden and got attacked by the fifty somewhat birds residing in the tree."

"Funny, he doesn't look like you," Hilde mused.

"Is he supposed to?" the prince asked, raising an eyebrow before going on.  "That there is the man who founded this castle.  He was a good man until he decided his wife didn't please him anymore.  A lesson all men can learn from him is never tell your wife she's old, ugly and fat while she's still quite capable of physically harming you.  That woman could work wonders, and those wonders she sure worked on her husband!  He teetered between life and death for three weeks before he finally croaked."

"What happened to his wife?" Relena asked.

"She lived on for another fifteen years, rolling in his wealth and cursing him daily."

"My kind of woman," Hilde muttered.

The tour of the castle commenced without pause for several hours until they arrived at the West Wing.  Taking a step towards the stairs, Relena found her way barred by the braided prince who called himself Shinigami.  "Trust me, lady, you don't want to go up there," he said gravely, the first true sign of seriousness the two girls had seen him exhibit.

"Why not?" Hilde said, ascending the stairs simply because he had said not to.

Leaping up after her, the prince grabbed hold of Hilde's arm and dragged her back down to Relena's step.  "Let's just say we have a rabid animal up there," he said seriously.  "Please, just don't venture up that way until I tell you its safe."

"To be completely frank with you, monsieur, as long as my friend and I are stationed here I shall try everything in my power to go up there," Hilde informed him.  "But for now I shall refrain from doing so because you are in my presence."

The prince stared at her for a moment.  "Fine.  I'll do everything I can to stop you.  But should you somehow manage to make it past me and the servants don't say I didn't warn you.  Whatever trouble should befall you will be of your own doing and you'll get no pity from me."

Relena and Hilde both faltered for a minute, Hilde re-evaluating her decision.  The prince ended the tour without having covered the entire castle because of its immensity and returned them to the dining hall where they devoured lunch.

The girls saw no more of the prince that day and spent the remainder of their time there exploring their rooms and questioning Sally and Sylvia on how to act like a lady.  Perhaps it would come in useful once they returned to their homes the following day, for by that evening the storm had come to a complete stop, leaving a beautiful wonderland of snow behind.  Night descended upon the castle and the two girls fell asleep in their respectful beds, ready to go home the next morning.

Morning dawned bright and beautiful in Relena's room.  The rising sun awoke the honey-haired girl and she was allowed the pleasure of watching the dark sky swirl into a myriad of crimson and gold before turning a lovely blue. Smiling in pleasure, Relena forced herself to get up.  Staring mournfully at the armoire full of gorgeous dresses, she put her own shabby outfit back on and gathered her basket in her arms, slipping into her thin cloak.  Stepping out of her room, she hurried to Hilde's room where her best friend was just tying on her own cloak.  "Good morning Hilde," Relena said upon entering the room.  "This is a truly lovely place, and I'm sad to be leaving."

"As am I," Hilde agreed, "but I honestly can't wait to go home."

A grin lit up Relena's face at the prospect of seeing Milliardo again.  "Neither can I."  Together the girls linked arms and found the stairs leading to the front door.  Turning around once, Relena waved once to Sally and Sylvia, wishing that they were there to see the wave.  The two girls had truly been an asset yesterday.  Wistfully she hoped she and Hilde could one day again find this castle, but that thought was short-lived.  Turning back to her path, she and Hilde walked out the front door and towards the gates which were partially open from the night the two girls had trespassed upon the castle grounds.  Opening the gate wider, Relena walked through with a final goodbye to the castle.  Funny, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to walk past the gate.  Trying again, Relena again found herself still on the castle side of the gates.  Brows furrowing in thought, Relena put all her willpower into walking past the gates.  Once again it didn't work.  Walking back several paces, she ran with all her might only to be viciously thrown against the ground once she reached the gate opening.  "Why can't I go through?" she cried out desperately.

"It's not just you," Hilde said mournfully.  "I can't pass either."

"What's wrong with us?" Relena cried out fearfully.  "What has happened since we came here?"

"I told you that it's impossible for you to leave," the braided prince's voice rang in their ears.  Twirling around in the snow, Relena ignored the dampness seeking through to her bones.

"Why can't we leave?  What's wrong?" she demanded.

"You're stuck," he said simply.

"Why?" Hilde yelled.  "We didn't do anything to deserve being stuck here!"

Folding his arms, Shinigami said, "Your crime is you crossed the threshold.  You are here forever until you die or otherwise set free by the prince of this castle."

Reaching up to touch one of his hands, Relena pleaded, "But you are the prince of this castle.  Please let us go!  You know we have not done anything!  Please sir, I implore you to let us go!"

"It's not my decision," he said sadly.  "I do feel for you girls, but there's naught a thing I can do about it.  Simply accept your fate and come back inside where it's warm and dry."

"I knew you were up to no good!" Hilde shouted.  "I knew it from the moment I first saw you!  You're mean, vicious and cruel!"

"I am not!  It's not my fault you are stuck here!  It's by your own doing!  You chose to come here and now you must pay the price by being our fresh meat!" he snapped.

Relena's eyes widened and she cowered in fear.  "You mean to eat us?" she asked weakly.

Realizing what he had said, the prince laughed.  "No, not meat in that sense.  Perhaps eventually you will come to know what I mean."

"This is not a laughing matter!" Hilde shouted.  "We're stuck here!  Help us get out!  We have a family waiting for us, someone who cares!  We must go back!"

"I can't," he said simply.

"Please, sir, please, I beg you," Relena pleaded, tears filling her eyes.  "Please, my brother is waiting on me and I need to return to him!  Please sir, I beg you, release us from this devilry that keeps us here!"  A sob welled up in her throat and she felt tears trickle down her cheeks.  "Please!  Let us go!"

"I can't," he said again.  

"Please!" Relena screamed, hysteria taking over.  "Please!  PLEASE!" She hurled herself at him and without realizing it let her fists fly (not like they did much good).  "LET US GO!"

Hilde leapt up from the snow and grabbed Relena, forcing her off the prince.  "Relena!" Hilde shouted along with a slap at her friend's face.  "Stop it, Relena!  Attacking our host isn't going to be any good!  Accept it, sister, we are here for good."  Relena fell to sobs, collapsing against her best friend.  _Oh Milliardo, her heart wailed._

"Go back inside and go to bed," Relena vaguely heard Shinigami say.  "Sally and Sylvia will get you anything you should need."  The two girls returned to the castle and soon Relena found herself again inside the room she had been occupying.  Hilde gently placed her on the bed and she cried herself to sleep.

^*^*^*^*

"I hope you're happy," Heero growled at Duo.  "They're here for good, but they hate us.  I blame you."

"Everybody blames me these days," Duo sighed as he lounged in the red velvet chair.  "Nothing new.  But one correction, your highness.  They hate me, not you.  They don't even know you exist."

"Keep it that way," Heero snarled as he stalked across the floor, his large form blocking the heat and light from the fire.  Duo shivered in the sudden cold.

"Yeah, I will, for a little while, but then you're going to end up falling in love with one of them.  How else are we all going to get out of this prison?"

Whirling around, Heero let loose a roar loud enough to raise the dead.  "I will not be falling in love!" he roared. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Duo half smirked.  "I told you they were fresh meat, and I meant it.  I still mean it!  You're doomed, buddy.  Just hope whichever one you end up with isn't like your great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great grandmother who killed your great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great- great-great-great grandfather!"

"Not funny.  You're far too chipper," Heero snarled, raising a paw.  His claws shone viciously in the firelight.  Duo gulped.

"Somebody has to be, Heero, because you're ready to keel over and give up the ghost."

"I have one year left to live," the beast snapped.  "Let me brood it in peace."

"Eh, whatever floats your boat," Duo said, standing up and stretching.  "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a scheme to hatch and a serving body to inform of my scheme once it's hatched.  Happy brooding, buddy!"

The braided prince left, leaving Heero behind to brood.  Instead of brooding, though, he entertained a bout of self-pity.  He greatly appreciated what Duo was doing, but he knew it was futile.  After all, who could ever learn to love a beast?

^*^*^*^*

A/N: Oi, that was a long'un.  So what do y'all think?  Sorry it took me so long to post!  But if you'll believe it, I actually wrote it in one day!  I would be greatly obliged if you would press the review button.  'Twould make my day!  ~~Callisto

Press it!

NOW, darnit! :-Þ


	4. Secrets

Author's Note: Many thanks to Mama-sama, artemis1082, Tori, and KaT aka Mistress Shinigami for reviewing.  Y'all made it worth it to post it!  Also, thanks to Nekko for not only reviewing but pestering me all the time.  This chapter is for you because without your constant nagging (which is a good thing!) I would have procrastinated this chapter a lot longer than I already have!

Disclaimer:  I am an author who don't own anything.  I just sit around and write all day.  But if you asked me to own anything, I would tell you, I will own Gundam Wing.  (Sing that to the tune of We Are the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything)

^*^*^*^*

Beauty and the Anti-Heero

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Chapter Four:  Secrets

The clock struck nine as Hilde shoveled porridge into her mouth.  She sent a glare towards in the general direction of the clock, or at least the direction the sound had come from.  If life had worked her way just this once she and Relena would have already been well on their way home, but alas, once again life conspired against her and she was forced to remain in the grandiose castle with servants to wait on her hand and foot.  Despite all this Hilde was determined to fight fate in her own way, starting with wearing her own shabby clothes.  They were dreadfully out of place in the elegant castle, but she did not care.  They would have to fall off of her body before she would put on another article of clothing provided for her by the castle, no matter how beautiful or extravagant the garments were.

Silence reigned and Hilde was once again reminded that Relena was upstairs on her bed, fast asleep.  Hilde had tried to get more rest herself, but sleep eluded her and she had found herself hankering for some food.  She may not be willing to dress in garb the castle offered, but she was determined to eat enough to put a serious dent in their cash flow.  Setting down her third bowl of porridge she demanded Sylvia get her a fourth.  She was stuffed already, but she could not meet her goal if she did not consume mass amounts of victuals.

Whilst waiting for Sylvia to return, Hilde decided that she really could not eat that much porridge and so left the dining hall in favour of exploring the castle more in-depth on her own.  Sylvia would simply have to discard the wasted food, and it would almost be the same as eating it.  

Starting in the main entryway Hilde began to wander from room to room.  Several of the rooms were so full of dust that she feared the sneezes would never leave her; those rooms, she decided, were never used.  Stepping inside of one room she discovered that it was a ball room.  Giddy with glee she stepped inside and closed the door behind her before giving in to her childish impulses and twirling around the room as if she were dancing with a handsome prince.  A handsome prince with manners and no braid, that is.  She twirled herself into the middle of the ballroom and paused, her cheeks rosy with the exercise and cold.  Dim light shafted in through closed shutters, giving the room an eerie glow.  It suited Hilde, and she decided she liked this room.  It was where she planned on spending most of her time.  Turning slowly, trying to take it all in at once, she paused yet again as her eyes landed on a piece of woodwork so beautiful that she could not help but gasp at its sight: a piano.  Running lightly towards the musical instrument, Hilde fairly glowed with excitement.  Upon reaching the piano she lifted the lid and gently stroked the keys with her cold fingers.  Dust flew away at her touch, revealing white ivory in its place.  Hilde could not help but sit down at the bench and pluck a key.  She only wished she knew how to play.  

"I could get someone to teach you how to play."  Her thoughts were personified and she whirled around only to see the braided prince walked towards her.  "It's a truly marvelous piece of work, that is, but for the life of me I cannot figure middle C from high F sharp."

Without meaning to Hilde slammed the piano lid and only barely managed to keep herself from wincing.  This man was the sole reason she and Relena were stuck in the castle and she refused to be civil to him.  "I think I can figure it out on my own," she said coldly.

"Is it just me or is it cold in here?" he asked, obviously catching her tone of voice.

"It's cold everywhere in the castle where there isn't a fire lit," Hilde snapped.  Not giving him a chance to respond she hurriedly left the piano and the ballroom to continue her self-guided tour in peace.  Unfortunately for her, the prince did not seem to understand that she meant to be alone.

The prince kept his tongue in check though, so at first Hilde tried ignoring him.  It worked for a wee bit until she discovered herself a small room where she did nothing but run into him.  Next she tried to glower him into submission, but he started whistling annoyingly cheery tunes in recompense.  She tried physically harming the prince by shoving him and "accidentally" knocking him into things, but that did nothing but make him laugh.  Finally she got fed up with it and screamed at him to leave her alone.

"But it's my home," he pouted petulantly. "I don't have to leave you alone."

Hilde stared at the red handprint on his face and ran.  She had slapped him, but she didn't know where the urge came from.  One moment she was screaming and the next she was slapping him.   "Oh gosh," she breathed, slumping against a banister to one of many staircases.  "What's getting in to me?" she whispered.  "I need to calm down.  Oh dear, I slapped a prince!  Now I must apologize, but does royalty accept apologies? And can I apologize to _him_ without getting a complex?"  Miserably Hilde held her head in her hands wondering just how she was going to get out of this mess.  She didn't like apologizing to people she disliked and Shinigami definitely qualified as someone she disliked, but proper manners and common courtesy demanded she apologize and be sincere about it.  "Oh what am I going to do?" she moaned.

^*^*^*^*

"Who slapped you today?" Heero asked as cheerily as he ever got—which meant the words were only accompanied by a glare.

Duo sighed as he flopped in his usual chair.  "One of the girls."

"It's always a girl. Which one?"

Duo gave a half shrug.  "Fresh meat.  She doesn't like me, which means she'll love you, Heero.  We're as opposite as can be."

A scowl replaced Heero's glare.  "Then it's a good thing I'll never meet her."  

Duo didn't even bother responding.  What was the point?  Heero'd just deny anything he said or try to kill him, and either way he should've just kept his big mouth shut.  With another sigh he thought about the girl Hilde.  He was pretty good at reading people and predicting their actions, but he hadn't seen that slap coming.  Judging from her shocked expression afterwards and her rabbit-like scampering, he was sure she hadn't seen it coming either.  That girl was a mystery to him.  Usually he liked mysteries, but he preferred that the mysteries also like him.  It was no fun trying to solve a woman if she didn't want to be.

Leaping up, Duo offered Heero his most charming grin.  Like usual it had no effect on Heero save to irritate him which was Duo's goal right about now.  "So buddy, when are you going to take a stroll of the castle?  The girls can't see your beauty if they can't see you!"

Whistling Duo left the study without even waiting for an answer.  A mighty roar erupted behind him.  Oh yeah, he'd irritated Heero.  "Mission accomplished!" the braided prince laughed.  Coming to the top of the stair case he hopped on the banister and slid down, jumping off at the last second so as to miss the knob that would injure what no man wanted injured.  Throwing one hand behind his head he began another stroll around the castle.  He'd started one earlier but had had it interrupted when he ran into the lovely Hilde in the ballroom.  He hadn't meant to trail after her, but after watching her twirl around the ballroom like a princess he just couldn't help himself.  A girl like that deserved to be watched, deserved attention, and there hadn't been any save him to heap it on her.  So what if she hated him?  She'd eventually get over it, especially once she realized none of them could leave the castle, not just her and her pretty blonde friend.

Duo let his thoughts drift, latching onto nothing in particular as his feet took him around the immense stone establishment.  He meandered the halls of Heero's palace until he found himself near _her wing.  He stared the door for three seconds before pushing it open and entering her territory.  Instantly heat touched his icy body and he basked in the warmth.  Her wing was small, only six rooms, and she kept it well heated especially since she never left it.  _She_ was a woman over twenty years who had been as unfortunate as Hilde and Relena to enter the castle grounds two years ago.  Duo had had hopes for her to be Heero's love, but not much time with her proved that her heart already belonged to another, one whom she longed to go back to but could not because of the horrid curse Duo had caused to befall the castle.  She lived in solitude in these rooms, visited only by Sally._

"Ho!" Duo called out, making his presence known as he stepped forward.  "Anybody here?"  

"Just a moment!" a feminine voice called out.  A few moments of rustling ensued before the lady of the wing herself stepped out into the small corridor where Duo was positioned.  Looking at her, it suddenly struck Duo just how much she looked like Hilde, a thought he previously would not have had.  She and Hilde had the same blue-black hair and the same shape of eyes, although slightly different colours.  Where Hilde's eyes were cornflower blue, this lady's eyes were violet (yes, he actually noticed eye colour).  "Your highness," she said, offering a deep curtsy.  "How may I help you?"

Duo shrugged, something he seemed to be doing a lot of lately.  "I just came by to see how you're holding up."

"I'm just fine, thank you," she said.  "Is that all you wanted?"

Again Duo shrugged.  "Pretty much, yeah."  He turned to leave, wondering why exactly he had come to her vicinity.  A thought struck him and he paused, his hand on the doorknob, and turned back to the lady.  "We have two new guests if you would like to become acquainted with them," he said.  "They're both female, and lovely youths at that.  Should you ever feel so inspired to meet them just ask Sally to lead you to their apartments."

Something akin to fire flashed in her eyes, proving she was still alive.  "Thank you, highness," she breathed.  "I think I shall indeed find myself befriending them."  With that Duo left her apartments.  Shutting the door behind him, he found he could breathe again.  Odd, that he should have such problems around her.  He wasn't in love with her, and in fact felt no emotion at all around her.  She was simply there.  So why was it he had been choked up?

^*^*^*^*

It was well past noon but Hilde didn't care.  She'd had such a large breakfast that morning that her stomach did not demand a lunch.  Opening yet another door she sighed in disappointment when the braided prince was not lurking behind it.  Quite some time ago she'd decided to apologize despite her feelings for the prince, but he was making the already hard task quite impossible.  If only the castle weren't so big!  Why couldn't princes live in normal houses like everybody else?  At least then she'd be able to find him.  Turning around, Hilde surveyed her surroundings.  Great, she didn't even know where she was.

"A map would be handy right about now," she said, looking up at the ceiling.  "A lot of things would be handy right now.  Wish away, Hilde, none of them are going to magically pop up.  As if magic even exists."  Setting her sights back in front of her Hilde continued on her not so merry way, wondering just where under the sun, moon, and stars that stupid prince could be.

What must have been at least an hour later, Hilde found herself in a familiar area.  "Finally," she muttered.  Now to determine what made it so familiar… 

Realization swept through her like the first shock of jumping into cold water.  She was near the West Wing.  Shinigami had forbidden her and Relena to come near here, but here she was, and she didn't see a servant in sight… Innocently Hilde made her way a little further down the corridor until she came to a stair well, the one that led to the West Wing.  Still playing at innocence she ascended the stairs one at a time, pondering all the while what she would find at the top.  The top platform came and she found she could only turn left where a large, gilded mahogany door was the only thing blocking her entrance to whatever it was the braided prince didn't want her to see.  Stepping towards it she placed her hand on the door before attempting to open it.  The door felt warm, as if a fire were going on the other side.  It was a nice contrast to the icy chill the rest of the castle had.  Taking a deep breath Hilde latched onto the handle and pulled the door open.  

Stepping inside Hilde's breath caught in her throat.  The room was warm indeed from a roaring fire in its place, but that was all the light the room had to offer.  Strewn all across the floor were curtains viciously pulled from windows and mass amounts of glass, obviously the product of a vase or some other glad product smashing into the wall.  Tables and chairs were upturned and random items had rolled away from the tables.  The only thing that seemed to be untouched was a chair which, in the dim light, she could just barely make out to be red velvet.

Leaving the door open behind her incase a quick exit was needed, Hilde ventured further into the room.  Was this where the prince lived?  _He's a slob, she thought ruefully.  Not that she had expected much else from him, but it was disappointing to discover that a prince wasn't neat and orderly._

Straining her eyes to see further she saw three rooms that a corner entrance gave way to.  Making her way through the debris littering the floor she walked towards the door that gave way to a small corridor which apparently the three rooms were connected to.  It was a set of apartments, she realized.  The prince must indeed live here; why else would he forbid her to venture here?  Taking another step forward she determined to enter the first of the three rooms when a shadow on the wall stopped her.  The shadow was the size of a monster!  What did the prince have hiding in his quarters?  Another step, then another.  She shadow moved! Hilde froze in place, fearing the worst.

"Duo?" a deep, male voice growled.  "Stop tiptoeing around.  I can hear you.  Your childish games won't scare me."  Who was Duo?  More importantly, who was the owner of that voice?  Fear and curiosity battled in Hilde's mind, and curiosity won out.  She ventured further towards the room where the voice had come from when suddenly a hideous beast slinked out.  Before she could even think, Hilde let out a scream.  Her frightened eyes made contact with the cruel ones of the beast.  She knew she was going to die.  "Who are you?" the beast demanded harshly.  It talked!  Hilde was paralyzed with fear; she couldn't so much as blink.  "WHO ARE YOU!" the beast roared, frightening Hilde to the point of near insanity. Her silence irked him.  "GET OUT!" it continued roaring.  "GET OUT!"  A huge paw came swinging out of nowhere and suddenly Hilde found just how fast she _could_ move.  With a cry of terror she flew out of the room, slamming the door behind her, and ran down the stairs blindly, not seeing a thing in front of her, only imagining the giant beast chasing her.  Near the bottom of the stairwell her foot caught a stair and she tumbled forward, only to be caught by someone.  A scream erupted before she realized it was a real person, not a beast.  

"You shouldn't have been up there," a kindly female voice said, the owner of it idly rubbing Hilde's back for much needed comfort.  "He doesn't much like people."  Blinking away her immediate terror, Hilde focused on the woman in front of her. She opened her mouth to say something, but paused as it registered in her head who was standing in front of her.

^*^*^*^*

A/N: I wrote another chapter! I have no opinion of it yet so I won't say anything about it.  Can you guess who the woman is? (It's not that hard, people, especially if you know me at all…) What do you think of it?  I'm sorry of there are any spelling mistakes or anything, I haven't edited this chapter yet.  Review please!  ~~Callisto


	5. Tizzy

Author's Note:  I changed the summary slightly because I hated it.  Heck, I still hate the summaries… Summaries suck, yet they're the most important part of the story: they're what gives the reader the first impression.  Screw up your summary and more than likely you've just lost a butt-load of readers.  Hmm, maybe THAT'S what my problem is…

Mama-sama, artemis1082 and Nekko, thank you SO much for reviewing! You three are the sole (can I say sole when there's three of you?) reason I'm still writing.  It's nice having people who enjoy my stuff. ^___^  

SDA

^*^*^*^*

Beauty and the Anti-Heero

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Chapter Five:  Tizzy

_"You shouldn't have been up there," a kindly female voice said, the owner of it idly rubbing Hilde's back for much needed comfort.  "He doesn't much like people."  Blinking away her immediate terror, Hilde focused on the woman in front of her. She opened her mouth to say something, but paused as it registered in her head who was standing in front of her._

"Lucrezia?" Hilde asked incredulously, forgetting temporarily about her encounter with the monstrous beast.  "Is that you?"

The woman gave a small shrug and smile.  "None other."

"But you just disappeared two years ago!" Hilde said.  "We all thought you dead for sure."  Staring at the woman in front of her, her supposedly dead cousin, it suddenly clicked in Hilde's head why her cousin had disappeared.  She must have run across this castle as well and, like Hilde and Relena, found herself stuck and unable to return to her home.

"What can I say? You were wrong," Lucrezia said, laughter flittering through her words.  "Oh Hilde, it's so good to see you again!  Duo said there were two new visitors here, but I never would have dreamed one of them would be my very own cousin!"

Giving Lucrezia an odd look, Hilde asked, "Who's Duo?"

"Surely you've met him," Lucrezia replied.  Hilde shook her head.

"I've only met three people here besides myself and my friend—Sally and Sylvia, the maids, and Shinigami, the prince."

A bemused expression overtook Lucrezia's features.  "Shinigami, eh?  I've often thought he had a sack of meal for a brain.  Come, Hilde, and introduce me to your friend.  I've missed the outside world, and I'm sure the two of you will be able to report of it to me."

Agreeing to her cousin's request, Hilde linked arms with Lucrezia and started down the corridor before she remembered why she was there in the first place.  Pausing in their casual conversation and course, Hilde turned around to stare at the top of the staircase where she had come running from mere moments before.  What was that creature in the forbidden wing?  What was he doing there and what was his part in everything?  And above all else, who was this Duo character?  He had now been mentioned twice and Hilde was none the wiser about his identity.  "Who was that?" Hilde muttered.

"Has…Shinigami…not yet informed you of him?" Lucrezia asked, her brows drawing down in thought.

"No," Hilde replied.  "He only said stay away from the West Wing, so naturally I decided that's where I needed to end up."

"You should have listened to him," Lucrezia said softly.  "When they were good and ready to let you know of him, they would have told you and your friend all there was to know.  Now, who knows what will happen?  He has a nasty temper, that one, and he's not a person you would like to cross."

Hilde turned back to face her cousin.  "You're not making any sense, Lu."

"No, I suppose I'm not," sighed Lucrezia.  "All shall be explained in due course, Hilde.  For now, please forget the incident and take me to your friend?"

Hilde obeyed her cousin, but her thoughts did not leave the creature.  Lucrezia spoke as if it were human, possibly harmless, but Hilde could not forget the bone-freezing fear she had felt in its presence.  With a shudder she did her best to ignore the subject for now as she led Lucrezia to Relena's room.

^*^*^*^*

Relena stared blankly at her window, seeing nothing because the shutter was again shut.  She had woken several hours before, still dressed in her ragged clothes, under the covers of the comforting and warm bed, but had not moved since save to sit up.  Her thoughts flew rampant, none lasting for more than a few minutes before others took their place.  She wanted to refuse to believe that she was stuck in what was apparently an enchanted palace, but the mere fact that she was in a room possibly twice the size of her house made ignorance hard.  All she knew was she would never see Milliardo again, her beloved elder brother.

_Oh Milliardo, she thought, tears forming in her eyes for what seemed the millionth time since she had awoken.  Thoughts of her brother did that to her.  She could barely handle the separation; imagine how poor Milliardo must be feeling!  __At least I have Hilde.  The thought was hardly comforting, though; love the petite girl though she did, Hilde was not her brother and could never replace him.  "This is hopeless," Relena sighed, the tears threatening to overflow.  She sniffled them back, determined not to cry.  It wouldn't do her any good and she wasn't in much of a crying mood anyway._

A knock at her door forced her to turn her head away from the window, but she said nothing.  Again a knock.  Silence continued to reign on Relena's side of the door until Hilde's voice rang out.  "I hope you're not naked, Relena, but whether you are or not we're coming in."  We?  Who did Hilde have with her?  Relena sincerely hoped it was not the braided prince.

"Are you sure she's even awake?" another feminine voice said.  Relena paused, not recognizing the voice.  Who _did_ Hilde have with her?

Hilde responded to the question while answering the door.  "If she's not awake I'll go find the braided baka and tell him I love him."  Relena smiled; her dear best friend was so very sure of herself, and with reason.  

Hilde came into the room; trailing behind her was a beautiful woman who bore a striking resemblance to Hilde.  Her hair was the same blue-black as Hilde's, and their faces were very similar in build.  Contrasting eyes spoke of perhaps different lineage, but one could not judge solely on eyes.  Rising from her bed, Relena instantly began to shiver.  She'd been so warm inside of her bed that she'd forgotten her fire had long since gone out.

The strange woman, noticing Relena's discomfort (and Hilde's as well, for she had started shivering), spoke not a word but went immediately to the fireplace and set about building a fire.  These actions made Relena ponder the fact that she might be a servant, despite her elegant dress.  Before she could voice any of her thoughts, though, Hilde spoke.

"Relena, you'll never guess what I discovered!" the petite woman exclaimed, thoroughly excited despite the cold.  "Several things!  First, I discovered this castle has a ballroom, and in the ballroom is a piano!  A real piano, Relena! I only wish we knew how to play!"  Excitement coursed through Relena's veins.  A piano!  She'd always dreamed of being able to touch one, and as long as she was held prisoner in this castle she could not only touch one, but perhaps learn to pluck out a simple melody on the keys of the piano!

Adding to the excitement, the stranger said, "I could teach you two how to play.  I've picked it up since I've been stuck here."

Hilde and Relena shrieked as one, "Will you?!"  Happy day indeed!  Perhaps being stuck here wouldn't be so bad after all!

"What else have you discovered?" Relena demanded, suddenly excited to find out what secret knowledge Hilde had.

"You remember the West Wing where Shinigami forbade us to go?  I was meandering around the castle this morning when I found myself at the foot of the staircase leaning up—oh Lu, do stop glaring at me.  Fine, fine, I'll remain silent."  Leaning into Relena Hilde whispered, "As soon as we're alone I'll tell you."

"I heard that," the woman—LU?—said.  Hilde stuck her tongue out at the woman's back.  "And suck that tongue back in, Miss Schbeiker!"  Hilde's face flushed slightly and Relena laughed.  She knew she would like this woman, should Hilde ever get around to introducing her.

"Thirdly, I've discovered her!" Hilde said, even more excited about the woman than about the piano.  "Relena, please meet my cousin Lucrezia Noin.  Lu, when you're done poking around in the ashes, turn around and meet my dear friend Relena Peacecraft."

Relena could not help but gawk at the woman.  Hilde's cousin?  How on earth had she ended up hear?  Voicing her thoughts aloud, the woman slowly turned to face Relena, wood still occupying her hands.  "You're…a Peacecraft?" she asked, slightly hesitant.  Relena nodded.  "I was in the woods on the way back from market nigh on two years ago when I sought refuge here for the night," Lucrezia said, breezing right by the fact that Relena was a Peacecraft.  "I've been here ever since, unable to leave the castle grounds."  

"So you can't leave either," Relena said.  "Good.  At least now we know we're not going crazy.  What trickery has the prince enchanted this castle with?"

"If you want to know, ask him," Lucrezia said levelly before returning to the fire.  "He won't bite, I promise."  Relena shared a look with Hilde; won't bite?  Riiight.  They didn't believe it for a moment.  "This is going nowhere," Lucrezia sighed in exasperation.  "Come, lets track down Sally, she'll be able to get it blazing." She stood up and headed for the door before pausing.  "Do you both share this room?"

Hilde shook her head.  "I have taken up residence next door."

"I thoug…" Lucrezia trailed off mid-word, noticing and then assessing their garb.  "Before we take off, would you two like to change?  There are more than plenty of dresses filling the armoire."

"Not a bad idea," Relena replied.

"What's wrong with our dresses?" Hilde said hotly, blazing over Relena's remark.

"Nothing," Lucrezia said, slightly taken aback.  "I simply thought that because—"

"We're in a castle so we should dress like ladies," Hilde said mockingly.  "I'm sorry we're so disgusting to look at, Lucrezia, but I've decided that as long as I'm prisoner here, until my clothes fall off around me, I refuse to wear anything palace provided.  It's one of many small ways I'm going to rebel."  

"I had the same thought when I first came here," Lucrezia said wryly.  "Then my clothes _did_ fall off around me and I found myself in a pickle, being halfway across the castle from my room.  I respect your decision, Hilde, but please expect nothing less from me than laughter when you are in a tight situation such as I was in."

Hilde flushed slightly pink again but, being stubborn, remained firmly rooted in her decision.  Relena, on the other hand, decided that she would learn from Lucrezia and quickly selected a deep emerald coloured dress to don.  She wished she had the talent to pile her hair atop her head, but since she did not, she simply let her blonde tresses hang down her back.  

Ten minutes of searching revealed Sally to be in the ballroom, airing out the place.  Upon inquiry it was discovered that the braided prince had ordered her to clean up the room because one of the castle's occupants wished to use it.  Hilde's cheeks were stained pink again and she roughly told Sally she need not waste her time.  Relena could not help but smile at her friend's obvious discomfort.  Hilde enjoyed having attention showered on her by the male race, but she did so dislike the braided prince.  Relena did too, for that matter, but not near to the extent that her friend did.  

Half an hour later, tea cups in hand and fire roaring in Relena's comfortable room, Sally left to resume her cleaning in the icy ballroom.  Lucrezia's smile followed the servant all the way out and Hilde sank lower into her seat, trying her very best to look disgusted.  "I cannot believe that man," she muttered.  Relena didn't even bother to try and hide the delighted laugh that escaped her throat.  Lucrezia grinned broadly as she sipped her tea.

"He's trying to treat you like a princess, whether or not you will have it," the older woman said, very much amused.  

"Well I won't have it," Hilde said shortly.

"Ah, but do you have a choice?" Relena said, then giggled.  "Perhaps he fancies you, friend."

Hilde's eyes blazed.  "He'd better not.  I may be only a woman, and a rather small one at that, but I could do him real damage should he—" Her words were drowned out by Relena and Lucrezia's laughing.  Relena had never seen her friend so pink.

Indignant humphs on Hilde's part tried to cover her discomfort and embarrassment before she simply gave up and changed the subject.  "Let's talk about you, Lucrezia.  You seemed surprised earlier to discover Relena's surname.  Explanation, perhaps?"

Relena leaned in to the conversation, very much so interested in what Hilde's cousin would answer.  "Oh, nothing really," Lucrezia said vaguely.  "Old memory, think nothing of it."  Relena wanted nothing _but to think of it, but Lucrezia managed to change the subject yet again before she could say anything.  "How did you two manage to end up here?"_

Hilde sighed.  "Same way you did, on the way back from market.  I live with Relena and her brother, and we were running low on supplies so he sent us out to get more.  We were on our way home to Milliardo when a sudden snowstorm caught us off balance and in improper clothes, sending us seeking for refuge."  Lucrezia's sudden intake of breath caught Relena's attention at the mention of Milliardo's name, but Hilde didn't even notice it.  "We opted to stay here for the night when we ran into that conniving prince.  We stayed until the storm was ended, which was this morning, and then we left.  Well, we tried to leave, in any case.  Even running with all our might we couldn't pass the threshold and it didn't leave us in the best of moods."

Relena took a sip of her tea, watching Lucrezia very carefully now.  This suspicious behaviour only served to make Relena suspicious of the other woman; what did she know?  What was she hiding?  Who was she and of what importance was she?

An interrupting knock barely announced the presence of a caller when Sylvia thrust her head into the now warm room.  "The prince is in a tizzy," the girl said breathlessly, "so do be careful!"

Lucrezia frowned.  "What do you mean he's in a tizzy?" she demanded.

"I mean he's come out of his room for the first time in ages and he's not very happy!" Sylvia wailed, very near hysterics.  "I can't imagine what would make him so upset!  Lord Duo doesn't get to him anymore and there's not a one of us as would take a single step on those stairs!  Just please, I implore you, be careful!"  Without another word Sylvia was gone, leaving Relena very confused.

"What did she mean?" Relena asked.  

"I have an idea," Hilde said faintly.  

Before another word could be uttered, the door flew open once again.  Relena screamed, as did Hilde, and Lucrezia jumped.  Shinigami stood in the doorway, his face red with anger.  

"Stay here or become mincemeat!" he shouted, then slammed the door shut again.  Okay, so maybe his face was red with exertion, not anger.  Relena let out a sigh of relief, not realizing how terrified she had been until that exact moment.

"Did he just tell us to stay here?" Hilde asked, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Yes, and that's exactly what we're going to do," Lucrezia snapped.  "Step out of that door and your life becomes nu—"

Relena and Hilde were already out of the door.  A distant roar could be heard, making Hilde falter (though why Relena couldn't fathom), but she quickly reassembled herself and started running off.  "Go the other way and see what you can see!" Hilde shouted over her shoulder.  Relena did just that.

^*^*^*^*

"They're either stupid or brave," Lucrezia muttered to herself, shutting Relena's door before retreating back to her seat.  "I'm voting on stupid."  Retrieving her teacup she decided to ignore the situation at hand and instead ponder the new developments in her life.  Two years ago she'd been forced into this dismal castle.  Two months after her residency was decided she'd been told by Duo that the prince of the castle, Heero, needed a woman to love him and be loved in return, else everyone inside of the castle would die.  She hadn't even bothered trying to pretend that she could be the woman Prince Duo so desperately wanted to find.  Another held her heart and she wasn't going to betray her love, even if it meant dying.

Understandably, Duo hadn't taken that too well; neither had Heero.  Apparently the beast prince had finally warmed up to the idea enough to give it a try, and to be rejected so easily and so soon had been a blow to his pride, heart, and mind.  Lucrezia didn't regret her decision, but she did wish she could have been gentler about it.  If she'd been aware of the situation, perhaps she would have given rejection in another matter; then again, perhaps not.  She'd never had a chance to live out the other scenario, so she couldn't say for sure whether or not things would have been any different.

Looking towards the window, she let her gaze rest on the shutters as her mind whirled.  Even after two years it was still hard to accept the fact that she would die in a year if Prince Heero did not find true love before then.  She hoped either Hilde or Relena would be the on, but it was not a very strong hope.  It was more of a possibility, actually, one that might fall through at any minute, especially with the two girls now in harm's way (_but out of their own choice_, she reminded herself, _so stop pitying them_).  Nevertheless, she did wish it to be so.  If Heero could find love, even in his bestial form, then she'd be able to return home again, return to the one she loved.

Ironic that everyone Milliardo cared about should end up in one place, all missing him, yet unreachable.  Hopefully he would not die from grief; that she could not bear.  "Fear not, Lu," she said chidingly, "he'll survive.  Milliardo's always been a fighter.  At least you have the joy of befriending his beloved sister.  Look on the bright side!  If you get out of here with Relena's love, then it will much easier telling her that you plan to marry her brother.  She'll feel terrible hating you then."  

It was a slightly comforting thought, and with that as closure, she opted to think of all her happy times with Milliardo while the danger outside the snug room played out.

^*^*^*^*

A/N:  Whoa, can't believe I just sat down and wrote that.  Who thinks they know what will happen with Relena and Hilde? *listens to thoughts* Wow. YOU'RE ALL WRONG!! *evil laugh* *cough* Yes.  I felt bad about last chapter saying I hadn't edited it.  I'm giving everybody a false impression that I actually edit my stuff, so here's the truth: By the time I've edited anything, it's been posted for four months at least.  Yes, I take that long to edit.  Call me arrogant, call me stupid, call me peanut butter, but it's what I do.  Please don't think less of me! *runs from maniacal little sister* Review, please!  ~~Callisto


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